Despicable Me 4 (2024)

It's both astounding and yet inevitable that we have a sixth part in the Despicable Me franchise. Yes, this is technically part four, but if you include Minions (2015) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), which you're pretty much forced to do, this is demonstrably the sixth installment. I don't really understand the craze over the minions- they're fine; at times amusing, at times not much else- but it is equally comprehensible how they do such fine business. The franchise has made an absolute killing and genuinely seems to appeal to both kids and grown ups alike, the latter perhaps in need of watching a few more black comedies and expanding their comedic palettes. For me the films generally all blend into one, I couldn't really differentiate between them, although this latest part introduces a baby, one that predictably becomes a version of Jack-Jack from The Incredibles franchise (2004-2018) towards the end of the film. Gru (Steve Carell) and his adopted family have to go into witness protection after another supervillain Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison hell bent on revenge after Gru once upstaged him at a school talent contest or something. This might sound like I'm dismissing the series, but it really doesn't matter about the plot here; even when Gru Jr. is kidnapped there's no jeopardy and everyone knows it. This franchise is the dictionary definition of harmless fun, punctuated by the minions that everyone seems to love, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. There's also plenty of inventiveness on show, along with some nods to past classics, as well as containing a brief tennis match in which the tennis is more believable than anything in Challengers (2024). I honestly couldn't tell you what happened in Despicable Me 3 (2017) and admittedly I will probably be saying the same about this in a few years' time, but again, that sounds like I'm damning it with faint praise. This franchise should be commended for the financial behemoth it is, and if they continue to make them it's certainly not something to be angry about, although at six installments now, it's now perhaps time for Illumination to step down and bring us something different. 6.3/10